The Wraithes Of The Lost City
by LunarticGirl345
Summary: Astro realizes their's more to his dad's past than he knows. Traveling 300 meters below the ocean there lies a abandoned city called Metro. The once beautiful and peaceful city has turned into a graveyard of memories, dreams, and people that once lived there. Why was a city built down here? How did his core really become to be? Everything that Astro knew is turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

"Crossover, The Abyss: The Wraiths Of Eden/Astro Boy 2009

"The Wraiths Of A Lost City

"Chapter 1/ A World Known But Forgotten

Astro's POV

"I was terrified. Not that being terrified was a bad thing, I was just worried mostly. I was in a submarine-powerboat hybrid. Sitting next to me was Cora; who was studying to became an exobiolgist(The study of life in the universe), she had picked it up in her senior year of high school. Zane, who was helping Dr. Elefun navigate the submarine, he was studying to become a mechanic at the Ministry of Science. My dad, Dr. Temma, sat in the other seat beside me, he was the Head of the Ministry of Science. Sitting opposite of us to the right was Ken, short for kennedy. He was studying sports mostly, but recently he started studying a little bit of the underwater life and its biology. In the middle was Alejo, who was studying mathematics and robotics. Last was Reno, who was studying robotics mostly. I was studying Environmental Studies than like my dad with robotics. We all needed each other on this mission. I still remember, 2 weeks ago, when Dr. Elefun and my dad asked all six of us if we would go. At the ministry of science, me, Cora, Zane, Reno, ken, and Alejo were all sitting at a table in a conference room. Dr. Elefun was explaining the mission to us. "This mission is going to be sort of like a field trip only much more dangerous, we think."

"How dangerous?" I asked out of concern.

" Usually I was the one who handled the dangerous situations. Maybe once in a while, everybody would join in when a town was in danger, a kidnapping, or something or someone was stirring up trouble. We never gone on "dangerous" missions before. Usually the "missions" that Dr. Elefun took us on were educational or helping us with our school studies.

"On this mission, we going to travel into the ocean, going about 400 meters deep. Between the continental rise and the continental slope. And by 'how dangerous,'I honestly don't know."

Cora asked. "What do you think your going to find down there?"

Dr. Elefun looked to her, his eyes crinkling in the corners producing crows feet. He looked like he hadn't slept for a week. "He sighed. "Hopefully nothing." We didn't know what we were going to find down here, but I had my suspicions that my dad and Dr. Elefun knew more than they were telling. Diving to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine made me a little bit claustrophobic. I had to keep reminding myself to calm down and breathe in and out. I wasn't used to being in tight places mostly. Dr. Elefun thought with all the different fields we're all studying could help us experience some training. I was brought out of my thoughts when a hand grabbed mine. "Are you okay?" I turned to Cora with a small smile looking into her eyes. Concerned, beautiful, sapphire eyes. "Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"You're worried, aren't you?" I smiled, she knew me so well. Somehow she always knew what I was thinking, Knowing that comforted me. I squeezed her hand and said, whispering. "I just don't know what we're going to find down here and mostly I'm just worried about our safety. I mean what if we don't make it out alive, Dr. Elefun said it could be dangerous."

"We're all worried and scared too, Astro, but we have to keep faith that everything will be alright. No matter what happens, At least will all be together." Cora said, looking at me with reassurance and determination. My smile brighten. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. She rested her forehead on my shoulder and squeezed my hand.

"Ugh! They haven't kissed each other fully and they already making me sick!" Zane said this as he looked back at the two of us and smiled. I smiled back and said. "Zane, would you like to enjoy the view from behind the submarine?" Everybody's laughter echoed off the walls of the submarine. Zane would sometimes tease us whenever Cora and I shared a kiss or whenever we were caught up in a moment. Cora would always give him a death glare or give him a punch in the arm. I'm not kidding you when I say she has a strong arm because she has a strong arm. Ive seen her bad side and it's not the prettiest. Well, it's kind of cute when her nose twitches or when her lips go into a pout. Whenever we have an argument or when she's mad, I have to turn my head or I start smiling non-stop. Zane smiled and raised his hands in the air. "Nope, I'm good, I'll stay right here."

"That's what I thought." Everybody calmed down and the silence returned. The submarine had been diving for about to 200 meters to almost 1000 meters, making that about 45 minutes. Entering the Mesopelagic or known as the twilight zone, was losing light from the sun. There was still light but going down further made it darker, making me feel uneasy. Zane and Dr. Elefun directed the submarine into a canyon that went further downward. The canyon was a little bit narrowed but Zane and Dr. Elefun managed to get through without even a scratch. I was both shocked and amazed. They seemed to know where they were going out in the middle of the ocean. Looking through the 5 to 10 inch thick glass, I could see the ocean before me. Fishes of all kinds swam in front of us or away from us. Some were clownfish, barramundi, angelfish, panther grouper, and the billfish. There were many other fishes that I couldn't name, ken would probably know most of the fish due to his recent study of the ocean than me. I was surprised some of the fish could survive this deep.

We came upon a land formation in the continental rise about 800 meters above the abyssal plain. Rock formations came into view looking like mountains underwater. The next thing I see is a unfinished steel railroad bridge. It's steel trestles with plate girder Spans and double-bent steel towers held the bridge 200 feet off the ground. "What is that?" Reno asked. Curious like the rest of us, we all leaned forward in our seats. My dad leaned forward and pointed ahead. "Land the sub underneath the bridge at the end the cliff. We'll explore more when we get out." Zane nodded his head in response. Dr. Elefun pushed some buttons to his left on the control panel.

"Are you sure that such a good idea?" Elefun turned back in his seat and looked at my dad with uncertainty. My dad sighed and pressed forward. "Right now, we don't have a choice." My dad never lost his bravery or determination when something needed to be done. My dad leaned toward Elefun and whispered. "We need to find out if anything's changed and... if anything survived after all this time." Elefun sighed and agreed.

"Alright."

If anything survived after all this time? What did they mean by that? What were they hiding that they wouldn't tell us. I was getting frustrated with the lack of information I wasn't receiving. I leaned my head back against the head rest. Two weeks before we started this mission, I would ask my dad what could be possibly be down there that we desperately needed to find. He would answer me by saying. "Nothing probably, jus... just a precaution." I knew it was something more than just a precaution. Every time I asked him about it he would get nervous and stumble on his words. It was not like him at all. The ocean was 120 miles from Metro City. The closest city to the ocean, 2 miles away was, "Caraval." It's been abandon ever since Metro City was built and lifted into the sky. Some people say that the people from Caraval deserted their homes to come to Linken, the town that Cora and Zane grew up in. Linken and Metro City were being built the same time the people deserted Caraval. In June, after a month Toby was born, a group of people were coming from Caraval into Linken. The town folks described the group as rather astonished. The group was astonished at how bright the sun was, how it was easier to breath, how different the smells were. It confused the town folks into thinking these people were crazy. Where were these people from? It was confusing and mysterious at the same time. It didn't make any sense. Zane landed the sub underneath the bridge, steading it with all the strength he could muster, landing it with a thud. Elefun turned to Zane with a smile of proud ness.

"Job well done, Zane!" Zane's face flushed in embarrassed.

"Thank you, Doctor." Zane was known to be a goofball from time to time but at his heart he was kind, hardworking, and always willing to help another. Dr. Elefun and my dad unbuckled their seat restraints, stood up, and faced us.

"Alright, lets stay together. Everybody have their earpiece in?" We all nodded our heads in agreement. "Good. Everybody suit up."

Everybody unbuckled and followed Elefun and my dad to the back of the sub where we retrieved our scuba tanks and flippers. The only thing I had on was a black wetsuit and my red boots on. Since my body wasn't effected by the water like a normal humans I didn't need a scuba tank or flippers. Holding my breath up to 30 minutes made it easier for me to explore. With technology these days, Elefun and My dad had built a wetsuit to accommodate to the water pressure without crushing us to death. I turned and helped Cora with her scuba tank. My fingers brushed her black mid-length hair to the side as I eased the tank onto her back. Making sure her tank was full on air she turned around and thanked me. I reached behind her to grab her diving mask when she asked. "Have your sensors picked up anything yet?"

I sighed and answered. "Nope, nothing yet. I feel weird though, like, I've been here before or I'm revisiting one of Toby's old memory's or... I can't describe it really." Nothing familiar surfaced from Toby's memories, but the feeling of belonging was still there. Cora nodded in understanding and took a step closer to me. "What did your dad say to Elefun?"

I looked over to my dad. His face was masked with worry, his hands were slightly shaking holding the diving mask. I wanted to be there for him as his son. I would of gone over to his side and asked him what was the matter, but I knew he would shrug it off. I looked at Cora. Her blue eyes looking into mine. "He said, We need to find out if anything's changed and if anything survived after all this time." Cora furrowed her eyebrows as she listened. "What do you think he means by that?"

" -who means by what?" Zane overhearing our conversation walked over to me and Cora, his arms folded across his chest.

"My dad and Elefun." Zane nodded his head as if understanding what was going on. "I heard what he said to Elefun, something seems off. The last two weeks I never seen elefun so distracted, I mean I seen him stare off into space sometimes when I work with him but not like this." Zane shook his head, his eyes scanning the ground. "I'm worried about him."

"Same with my dad, too. Every time I ask him about it he just shrugs it off and doesn't tell me... "

"What is it, Astro?" Cora asked.

I hesitated to say it. "I think he's been here before."

Cora had just finished putting on her diving mask when Elefun turned to us and said, "Everybody ready?" We looked over each other to make sure we had our diving equipment properly secured. We walked into another room to our right. The decompression chamber was small, holding up to 9 people, there were 8 of us so we had to squeeze together. Locking the door behind him, Elefun turned toward a handle and put his hand on it. He turned his head back toward the group and locked eyes with me.

"It would be safer if you went ahead Astro." I nodded my head in response and stepped between Elefun and my dad. I had grown in height over the years coming up to 6'2', while my dad stood at 6'8'. It honestly unnerved me how much I had changed since I was...created. Just one small reminder that things were different. I looked up at my dad. In his eyes I saw pain, loss, anger, and grief. My circuits twitched. "You're not Toby. You're a copy of Toby. You're not my son, and I... I don't want you anymore. I remember that night; feeling confused, hopeless, lonely, and... lost. A son feeling lost without his father. A father feeling lost without his son. Toby's death changed my dad from the inside out. I knew it pained him everyday. My dad still had nightmares of the day Toby died. Screaming and tearing at the sheets like... a shield. I knew that it wasn't only Toby's death that weighed so hard on my dad. It was also Madeline. Toby's mother. After she died giving birth to Toby, my dad swore he would never lose love like that again. But not soon after, he closed himself off from Toby and lost him as well. It was unbelievable that he managed to hang on to that sliver of hope inside him. Creating me was his sliver of hope.

My dad gave me a small smile. The chamber started to slowly fill with water, past our knees, chests, and finally above our heads. Air bubbles coming out of every bodies diving mask, except mine. I nodded my head toward Elefun to open the door. Elefun let go of the handle and instead pushed some buttons. An alarm sounded and the door opened slowly. I stepped out of the submarine onto the ocean floor. The water pressure had dropped dramatically down here. I looked back at the group to make sure everyone was okay. Everyone was swimming right behind him with air bubbles around them making their way to the surface. I knew when We walked off that submarine, we were heading into something much bigger.


	2. Chapter 2: The Train Wreck

A/N: Hey Everybody! Sorry if this chapter took a long time to update. I have been crazy busy with college and other stuff.

So I don't know if anybody else does this but while I write I listen to music. It kinda gives me ideas and inspiration and I love it! But anyway, don't be afraid to review or comment. Maybe give suggestions on what to fix or something that might make the story more better. :)

Chapter 2/ The Train wreck

Astro's POV

Overhead, the frame of the bridge spanned on for miles. An ecosystem had grown around the rusted metal and now algae and tropical fish called it their home. What was this doing at the bottom of the ocean? I turned around to see my dad swimming up behind me.

My scanner kicked in and suddenly I was seeing the ancient construction in a new perspective. Like a blueprint, I could see everything from the inside out. Yeah, definitely not like Metro Cities subway train. Massive bolts were pretty much the only thing holding this structure together. The metal had become rusted over the years, and algae covered it head to toe. It looked like it could collapse any minute. My scanner disappeared as my dads voice came into my ear piece.

"This bridge was built 40 Years before I was born. Can't believe it's still standing." Shaking his head in awe my dad looked at me. "We're getting closer."

"To what?"

Why couldn't he- "Astro! Temma!" Elefun was blurting out our names into our earpieces.

My dad put his hand to his ear, "What is it Elefun?"

"You might want to take a look at this." His voice was full of concern, making me and my dad share a look of distress.

"Where are you?"

"Follow the bridge and you'll come upon a cliff."

We followed Elefun's instructions by letting the bridge guide us. Fishes of different colors swam past our faces, swimming away in a frenzy. Plants of kelp, and seaweed covered the ground, devouring anything in its path. Sunlight stretched through the bottomless ocean, making the green world slightly come aglow. It was beautiful, in its own way. More distinct than the coral reef. I never seen anything like it before.

The bridge led us over a hill through a clearing of openness, the ocean laying out before us. Everybody's eyes turned toward us while the immense wreckage took up my view.

Standing about fifty-inches away and sitting on the edge of the cliff was a broken down subway train. It was older and different than Metro City's subway train. Metro city's was sleek, smooth, and more advanced while the one above us looked like it had been sitting here for a hundred years or more. Instead of the train being inside of the bridge, the train had crashed into the side, breaking through the metal, then landing on the surface of the cliff. It was hanging by a thread, literally. Swimming over to the edge, the black pit laid below me like a net, waiting to ensnare any of us.

The train was white with dirt and algae covering it. I took a step closer. I was surprised that none of the windows were shattered only slightly cracked in some places. The glass must be thick. Reno came up next to me. Cupping his hands around his eyes as he tried to look through the cracked glass.

Fours months after the peacekeeper and my victory/death/resurrection. Me, Cora, and Zane had started school again. It was both nerve-wrecking and exciting at the same time, but at the beginning of sophomore year, we started hanging out with three other guys in our grade; Reno, Ken, and Alejo. After going through three years of high school, 2 years of college and still finishing. We've had some crazy adventures together and most of them ended up with one of us in danger; making us become closer as friends, and actually feeling more like my family. Going through robot revolutions, fighting rogue robots, corrupted governments, mad scientists, and criminals. I don't know what I do without these guys.

Reno nodded his head over to Elefun. "Elefun, is this what we're looking for?"

Elefun sighed and answered. "Yes and no. It's part of it." He swam over and put his hand on the train.

"Is there a way to get the doors open?" Ken's voice came into our earpieces. Reno moved to the side in front of the doors and signaled to me. "Want to give me a hand Astro?" I nodded and moved next to Reno. We put our hands between the doors and pulled. Algae squished between my hands and the door. Ugh, that's lovely. The sound of rust rubbing against metal came to our ears; Making everyone cringe. With one tug, my side of the door flew opened. Reno struggled for a bit but eventually got it to slide open.

I stepped into the car. It groaned under my weight making me hesitate to take another step. Making sure it was pretty stable, and safe to walk on, I turned to everybody. "We'll check it out."

Grey subway seats, facing forward, were bolted to the ground on either sides of the car. It looked like Water and algae had gotten through the cracks in the windows over the years, slowly filling the subway up. Something didn't feel right. It looked empty as I took in my surroundings until... No, it couldn't be. A dark figure? Something was curled up against the side of the window. It looked to have the shape of a... No, don't let your mind wander to conclusions it's probably just junk shoved into the corner. Feelings of hopelessness and eerie darkness ran through me, making my carbon steel spine tingle in an unpleasant way. I knew it wasn't just junk shoved in a corner. I hear Reno's footsteps come into the car.

"It's pretty clean compared to the outside. Man, I haven't seen this retro design since I was a kid, I mean look at the size and shape of the doors. The windows look 21st century-ish but... Astro? Astro?!"

I ignore Reno's conversation and walk towards the back of the car to the figure. As I come closer, a purple blanket was covering the figure or whatever was under it. My pulse started to race. My hand shaking as I extended it, hovering over the blanket. Reno had given me a slight nod of his head before I begin to tug at the delicate material. Something withheld the blanket from me. What in the world? I gave one final jerk and gasped.

A young woman, early twenties or so it looked like, was hunched in petal position against the window. Most of the skin had rotted away, or was consumed by small creatures over the years. Brown matted hair lay in clumps on her head. Her eyes closed and slightly sunken in. A turquoise dress barely framed her abundantly thin body. As I continued to observe the dead woman, I suddenly felt remorseful for her. A life ended so abruptly. A life never lived. She'd never marry, never have children, never experience old age; the joys of life ripped away. Forever. Something we both have in common. My eyes gazed towards her outstretched hand, it was clutching the blanket in an inhuman grip. I took a step back. Almost instantly letting go of the blanket.

Reno took a step back too. "Holy circuits."

I immediately forgot how to breath. My breathing turning rabid and uneasy. The stench of acetone and other pungent smells filled my senses making me feel queasy. It felt like the air was sucked out of me. Reno's face had turned a slight greenish color as he took in the half-eaten flesh on the woman. "How about you go tell the others it's alright", I suggested to him. He didn't argue with that as he briskly walked towards the doors in relief. My dad, Cora, and Zane walked into the train, their eyes overlooking the seats covered in algae, than the woman. I wouldn't look at my dad. My hands clenched into fists. He lied to me, he lied to all of us, him and Dr. Elefun.

I turned to find Cora by my side, "Where are the others?" Seeing that Dr. Elefun, Zane, Alejo, and ken were not present.

"They're securing the train as we speak." She breathed, making air bubbles form from her mask, making a beeline towards the surface. I had just looked over her head when I saw a pair of red eyes piercing into mine. My arm transformed into my cannon; loading to destroy. It was gone. One second I was looking into the eyes of pure evil, the next nothing but ocean.

"What?!" Cora turned to the window. "What did you see?" She asked, her eyes wide with eagerness. I scanned all the windows but there was no trace of the creature. "I have no idea?" I advanced my senses. Something was there. Its raw energy echoed into mine with familiarity but yet unalike; a sense of gloominess and dread came upon me. "Somethings out there. Keep your guard up." I warned.

As if announcing its presents a shrill cry came into our ears. It just found its dinner. "Everybody get back to sub. Now! No- " There was no time to react as the train lurched from beneath our feet. Slamming onto the floor I looked up to find the creature slamming its black body against the side of the train; denting it in any way shape or form. I aimed my cannon at the creature and shot. The windows shattering with each aim I took. It moved too fast. Standing up, "Dr. Elefun!" Forgetting that Dr. Elefun and others were outside.

"Astro." I sighed in relief. "Doctor go to the sub we'll follow you."

"Astro! The anchors are not holding"

"What?"

"They'r-... drive the... train... cliff." Oh gods.

The train lurched again. As I landed by the sudden impact I felt a sharp piece of metal slash into the bottom of my leg. I cried out as the pain exploded into my leg. I felt wires slightly torn which didn't make it any better. My vision pixelated in and out. Warnings covering my vision, telling me which parts of my leg were injured.

I could hear my dad shouting, hitting the door with crowbar. "The doors are to damaged I can't get them open!" Cora's face filled my eyes, "Cora." She cupped my face in her hands, making me ignore the pain in my leg.

"Astro." She smiled at me and than gasped when she saw the state my leg was in. "Oh my-, Temma he's hurt." I didn't dare move my leg.

The train lurched one once time; In return, it groaned. It was starting to slide off the cliff.

Me and Cora had just glanced at my dad when he exclaimed. "Everybody hold on to something!"

Snap

Feeing slightly lightheadedness we slump in the abyss. Cora wrapped her arms around me while I wrap my arm around her and hold her tight against me.

Then Darkness.


	3. Chapter 3: The Forgotten Dream

AN: Hey guys, quick update! We're starting to get into the plot and I'm really excited!

I hope you guys like the chapter and please leave a review!

Chapter 3: The Forgotten Dream

Astro's POV

Darkness eloped me, cradling me in a peaceful bliss. I wanted to sink into it, never come out of it again. I felt like I was back in my warm bed in Metro City.

After a long day, maybe getting back from hanging out with Cora and the others, an attack, school, mostly school. I walk towards my bed and fall on it. Laying on my back, I close my eyes and concentrate. I amplify my hearing to grow out of its normal hearing range. It was as easy as turning a switch on and off. The sound of car honks could be heard from outside, people talking, children playing in apartments, doors opening and closing. It was a blessing and a curse to hear everything all at once but over the years I learned to tune it out. Only letting the sound of car honks and noisy traffic drift me to sleep.

But, I wasn't in Metro City, and I wasn't in my soft bed trying to fall asleep.

When you wake up from a nightmare you're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.

The smell of decayed flesh and rotting plants came into my nostrils. I hated that smell.

Where am I?

I squinted my eyes open, my pixelated vision fading, to find a broken ceiling of glass above me. I blinked. Walls holding the ceiling up were slightly dented inward.

Then it all came back to me.

Getting off the submarine. Finding the broken down train. The woman with no flesh. The demon with... red eyes.

I bolted upright and instantly regretted it. I groaned as I laid back down. Clenching my teeth, I hissed as I examined my... rather demolished leg. The sharp piece of metal had sliced through the whole bottom of my left leg, right above my ankle.

The impact of landing on the sharp metal had broken through the skin, barely nicking my rocket. I thought it wasn't too damaged.

But unfortunately, when the train slid off the cliff then crashing onto the ocean floor, the force made the metal go deeper. It looked like I've been impaled by a sword with a few wires sticking out. It definitely felt like it.

Easing up onto my elbows, I realized one thing, as I turned my head to the empty space beside me; Cora was gone.

I thought she was still in my arms when the train crashed. My eyes searched the car but she was nowhere to be found. Fear started to crawl into my chest, making it hard to breath. Cora, my dad, Reno, where was everybody?

I glared at my devastated leg. I had to get out of here. Now.

Cupping the back of my leg, familiar red text scrolled across my vision.

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING... DAMAGE DETECTED IN LOWER MEMBER.

Argh, I know. I feel it.

Ignoring the warning signs, I barely lifted my leg.

Metal scratched against metal and I cursed down a yelp.

Taking long raspy breaths, I was stunned. The metal shouldn't have penetrated my leg.

But it did.

It must have hit a soft spot in my leg. Frustrated, I growled, as Shooting pain raced inside my wires. It was unbearable.

The image of the dead woman flashed in my mind.

If that happened to my dad, or Cora, or... I couldn't let that happen. I won't let that happen. Clenching my teeth through the pain, I wrapped both of my hands around my leg with a new vigor, and heaved.

A cry escaped my lips but I kept lifting. More warnings flashed across my vision.

WARNING... WATER SUBSTANCE ENTERING LOWER MEMBER.

Oh, boy.

My foot reached the top and the pain diminished. Oil mixed with blue core started to swamp the water above me, leaking through the broken glass. Fish that came by quickly swam the other way, eager to get away from the poison entity.

Sending a mental apology to the fish, I eased my leg onto the floor. A hole filled with wires met my gaze. Great, Just what I needed; More scratched metal and a leg with no feeling.

How was I going to get outta here?

With one of my rockets shot, I couldn't fly. Could barely walk for that matter.

I needed to contact the others.

A figure entered the car and I braced for an attack. Terror-filled blue eyes met mine and my body relaxed.

"Cora." Her name barely a whisper on my lips as she swam to my side, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Her voice raw and course in my earpiece as she looked me over, especially, taking in my damaged leg, "I heard you scream in my earpiece. How does it feel?"

Her hand gently brushed the wires and I hissed in pain. "It's painful."

"I'm sorry. Tenma and Reno are alright, they went to find anything that would be easier to detach your leg from the metal." Her eyes slide away from my leg, filling with amusement. "But it looks like you've... already done that, and much worse."

"I was worried about you."

The curves of her face softened, her eyes piercing into mine with a tender intensity.

With a soft smile, she said. "I know."

The base of my stomach warmed and tingled. No matter how many times I saw her, when she smiled, even if it was the tiniest of a smile, it felt like the sun had burst through the clouds. Everything felt better when she smiled.

I smiled back at her with one of my own.

She moved closer to my side, her cheeks slightly pink as she slide her arm under my mine, cupping my lower back.

"Right now, we got to get you up and back to Temma."

I nodded and gripped the wall behind me.

With Cora holding me up and feeling weightless in the water, I pulled up effortless.

Oh, that was easy.

Floating in the water put the pressure off my leg a little and I exhaled a sigh of relief.

I let Cora lead me through the car. Passing the back seat, I took one last fleeting glance at the dead woman, shuddering in the process. She was a jumble mess. The blanket, no longer covering her body was strewn across the floor at her broken feet. Basically, a skeleton was all that was left. The last thing I saw was her outstretched hand beside her, almost like she was reaching for me, for a way out, to hope, to life.

A hallow but dented door made a opening, making a clearing to the other side. Putting her hands on both sides, Cora slipped through the door easily. Coming next, I turned on my side, it was kinda tight as the edges nudged my shoulders. I was surprised my dad could get through this. After moving right and left and this and that way, I was finally free.

Sunlight could still be seen coming through the thick waters, but it didn't reach the bottom, entirely. Standing at the bottom of the cliff, surrounded by dark water, with barley any sunlight, I felt small. All around me were mass cliffs, the sunlight casting shadows on the ridges, ready to close in on me any second.

My eyes scanned the cliffs, turning in an almost 360' degree circle- almost. I freeze.

A building.

I blinked. A building hiding in the darkness? I blinked again. No, there was more buildings. My eyes widened.

It was a city. Swimming forward, I could see it more clearly now.

The structure, the detail, everything.

Even-I gasped.

Sitting above a steel-metal door in bold, black letters were: Metro.

What?

Another Metro City?

But why?

First, I was gapping at the letters, then I was glaring at them. Looks like dad has been keeping secrets, and a big one.

Movement moved at the bottom of my vision. Under the sign Metro, I could make out two black figures in front of the door.

My dad and Reno.

Stroking through the water, their faces whip towards us. Holding in their hands were broken pieces of the fallen construction by their sides. Their faces scrunched up in concentration as they try to get the door open. The door had a red wheel on it, which was covered in thick algae. My dad and Reno had unsuccessfully tried to turn or dismantled it. With all our tools back up on the cliff, we couldn't do much.

I clamped my hand on my dad's shoulder. "You have a lot of explaining to do." His face fell, the expression quickly turning to exhaustion to guilty. "I'll explain everything once we get this door open." With another attempt, he slammed his own piece of metal on top of the wheel.

"You promise?" He turned back and stared at me.

His voice unwavering."I promise."

I dropped his gaze. "Where's Elefun and the others?"

"They're still up on the cliff. I contacted them to meet us down here, try to get some of those tools from the sub to open this door."

I sidestepped around him, curling my fingers on the wheel. "What tools?" I jerked the wheel to the left and a shrrthuck could be heard. "You got me."

Tilting my head, I gave a small smirk.

He narrowed his eyes in a teasingly way. "If I remember you were still unconscious, speaking of which." His voice become suddenly serious. Kneeling down, he examined my leg, his fingers moving and pressing on my ankle.

"Yeah, it's pretty damaged, I'm surprised you can move it at all!" Standing back up, "I'll take a closer look at it once we get inside. Hopefully, Elefun can get the sub down here or maybe there some let over tools in this run down place."

While examining my leg, Reno had opened the ginormous door and gone inside for quick peek. His voice echoing in my head. "All good. There's a decomposing chamber in here we can use."

I replied. "Perfect."

Cranking open the door, each of us sneaked inside the abandoned city, hopefully leaving the red-eye demons behind.


	4. Chapter 4: Uncovering the Truth

A/N: Hello Readers! So sorry this update took longer:( But it's here!:)

Thank You to CaptainJSparrow23610, RustyPete12, and newguy.126548 for reviewing on my story! I love reading your comments and love that you guys want to find out what happens next! Thank You! Anyway, hope you guys like the chapter and leave a review!:):)

I dont own Astro Boy.

Chapter 4: Uncovering The Truth

Astro's POV

The decomposing chamber was five times bigger than the one in the sub, or so it seemed like. Running my hands along the length of the wall, I walked in darkness for a while before flashing my x-ray vision in front of me. A dark, blue floor met my shining light. The chamber was clean, a dark nothing, and the vastness seemed to grow with every stroke I took. Following the diagram of the chamber, another huge door came into view. On the side was a water scale box, measuring how much water was coming in or going out and under it was a big red button. Finally.

I pushed it immediately.

The scale started to drop dramatically, numbers blurring past as the water dropped slowly to the bottom. A minute past by and the water skimmed the top of our heads. I took in a deep breath. I let my chest expand wide, then cave back in itself. Cold, numb feeling air filed my nose. It spread out to my circuits, to my wires with new energy, then filling the hollowness of my leg. It felt good to take in air again. Droplets of water slid down my face as I limped painfully towards the door. Twisting the wheel, I push the metal door open. I stepped out.

A rundown corridor met my gaze and the air suddenly turned still. Everything was a-skewed. Everything, except for two desks that mirrored each other on either side of me. Thick, glass windows took up my view, covering the full left side of the hallway. And as I looked closer, the outer edges of the windows were trimmed with gold, giving it an almost mirror-like quality.

Water. Ocean.

It was odd being in a building in the ocean. Never to go outside and feel the sun warm your face. Instead, dark, blue water surrounds you day and night, and that's all you ever see. It felt like a cage. Not much to see and not an easy escape.

Piisssh

I looked back to see my dad's mask come off, and-he just stood there. Drinking in every detail and his face dropped.

"Dad?"

He hung his head as he quickly wiped at his face. His eyes were glossy and it a cured to me, that I was not looking at a scientist, but a man with much grief.

Cora walked towards me, her mask no longer on, grabbed a-hold of my hand and wrapped her arm around my waist. The pressure on my leg instantly subdued. I gave her a look that said 'Thank You!'

Reno and my dad cleared one of the desks, moving papers and broken pencils out of the way and my dad gestured to me to lay on the desk. I Half-walked towards the desk with Cora taking half my weight, then slumping onto the hard surface.

He didn't say anything.

He didn't look at me.

His fingers prodding on metal, on my ankle, accessing anything to fix the injury. My dad went on like this for a couple of minutes. And it drove me crazy. I was-

"When you look through that window, you probably don't see much."

The comment caught me off guard and I scrunched up my eyebrows.

"But this was our whole world, and... we never felt more at home. And by 'We' I mean me, Elefun, Hamegg, Stone, and Madeline, and also Renna and Kailor."

The comment at the end was directed towards Cora. Cora's parents?

"M-my parents?" Her eyes turned wide with disbelief. "They lived here... here?"

My dad slowly nodded, "We all used to be best friends."

My eyebrows raised, "You, Hamegg, and Stone were best friends?"

"Oh, yeah. But... that was back then, things changed, and we all went our separate ways. Well, some of us did."

I couldn't believe it. I could not imagine my dad hanging out with a person like Stone or Hamegg.

"Wait," Reno stopped, his hand slightly stretched towards my dad. "Stone. As in Ex-President Stone? That Stone?"

My dad smiled like he couldn't believe it either. "Yes, that Stone. And believe me him and Hamegg were a bit different, then."

My eyes traveled around the room. "So... why move down here? Why is a city built here?"

My dad looked at me and sighed. "This city was an experiment, a first draft, built forty years before I was born. The people behind the plans of the city wanted to try something different and so they came up with an idea to build an underwater city. Advertisements and critics called it 'City Of Paradise' and 'renewal.' When I turned thirteen, I moved down here with my mother and father, hoping to start a new and well, basically a better life. And all the crap they told you about in school, on that video," his voice changed to a higher pitch, impersonating a woman's voice. "'A century ago, the founders of Metro City seen that our world was changing'-yada, yada, yada." His voice changing back to its original pitch. "It's not true.

"So, why did you or my parents not tell us or anybody in the city?" Cora asked.

"We couldn't. The government interrogated individuals, families, elderly, anybody who lived here and had them sworn to secrecy not to ever mention the city again. In order to protect or prevent the people on the surface from finding its whereabouts. The city was successful at first, but... something happened."

He paused.

"On the night of me and Madeline's wedding, about... 2 miles from the city? An asteroid hit the ocean floor."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see both Reno and Cora snap their head's towards me. I didn't look at them.

"The blue core." I knew what he was talking about right when he said asteroid.

His face turned uncertain and he drew his bottom lip between his teeth. "Well... it wasn't the core you've come to know."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, is that your core is a mutated version of the original 'blue core.'"

I feel my jaw drop. "Mutated?" The simple word was a whisper on my tongue.

He continued on. "Our science professors brought the raw material back to the city to test it. Immediately, they discovered the atmosphere around the rock was toxic for humans to breathe in, giving an almost burning sensation in the lungs and in the eyes. They made a mistake when they sawed a piece of the rock off, the material turned a bubbling red. Me and Elefun are still not sure how, but the red core spread quicker and deadlier than the the blue core, into the air. A month later, people started getting sick, brutally sick. Fevers rising to a temperature of 109', aches and chills, people complained of having hallucinations, hearing voices in their heads' that wasn't theirs. Over weeks of toxins in their bodies, it started to make them crippled. Aging the average human three times faster than normal. They started to look more like creatures from a child's nightmares than human beings. Not soon after that we started calling them 'Wraithes.'" He racked his hand over his face, as if trying to wipe away the horrors he'd seen so many years, and yet, they seem to still haunt him to this day. "There was nothing we could do. We couldn't stop it." His voice rasped over the last words.

As I listened to him explain the deadly poison, an invisible weight settled at the pit of my stomach and I suddenly became nauseous. My core, that was suppose to be pure and positive energy, was really lethal and dangerous."So my core turned people into monsters."

"Astro," Cora said.

"Dad, I saw that creature out there, I looked into its eyes and any human soul that used to be there... was gone." I held my breath, "My core turned people into those demons."

"No, Astro," My dad placed a hand near my head on the desk. "The cores were out if control, they weren't contained. It's energy is the rarest substance from anything on earth or anything we've encountered. None of this is your fault. The Professors had an idea how to cure them, but the night they were going to introduce it to the people, they were found dead in their apartments."

I narrowed my eyes, "Murdered?"

"Yes." He spit it out without hesitation. "We believe it was the Wraithes. No, we know it was the Wraithes. The Wraithes used to be normal people, had normal lives, had families. The sickness-the energy turned the people crazy, transforming them into a creature of destruction and hatred-the complete opposite of who they were."

Cora's hand flies up to her face and covers her month. "That's so awful."

He nodded in agreement. I hesitated to hold my tongue but- "Were... were your parents affected by the energy?"

His Adam's apple bobbled and I wished I hadn't said anything, "They were." His hand reached for my ankle again, but this time, didn't do anything. His voice almost muddled as he spoke. "Its mostly your rocket that's damaged with a few wires cut through..." His eyebrows suddenly shot up and he turned his head to Reno. "See if there's any duct tape in that top drawer in the other desk."

I stopped my dad, covering the top of his hand with mine. "I'm sorry about your parents, dad. They must've meant a lot to you."

The corners of his eyes crinkled. "I'm sorry, too." He heaved a sigh. "They would have really like to have met you."

"You mean Toby."

"You and Toby." I smiled.

Reno trudged with heavy footsteps, the exhaustion of swimming in the ocean showing with every step, towards my dad. "This was all I found." He held up a roll of thick, black duct tape.

"That will work!" My dad exclaimed. His sudden excitement started to worry me on how he planned to fix my leg with only duct tape. Turning my leg to the side, he gently grabbed two wires that had been cut from opposite ends, and connected them. Then, ripping a piece of tape off, enclosed the tape around the two wires together. After fours wires 'fixed', feeling started to flood back into my leg. He accidentally squeezed a wire too tight and I jerked my leg back.

My dad smiled and pulled my ankle back. "Sorry bout that, that's a good sign though. That means it's working." Tapping the last wire, he looked around for awhile until he found what he was looking for. In hand was a dirty cloth. He folded it until it reflected a diamond shape, then wrapping it around my injury and tying it in a knot. "There, how's that?"

I sat up, swung my leg over the side, and landed on both feet. I stumbled. Cora caught me and righted me up, her arm hugging my waist.

"Feels much better, thanks dad."

"Good. That tape should hold for a while." He put his hands on his hips and started pacing down the gloomy hallway.

"If my memory is right, this hallway should lead to the Plaza, probably would be more safer in there."

"Shouldn't we wait for Elefun and the others?" Reno implied.

My dad shook his head, "Elefun knows the city, probably better than me." He waved his hand towards the windows, "The windows makes us visual-able out in the open, the Wraithes would definitely know where we are."

I inclined my head, "Lead the way, then."

Half-limping, I could feel Cora's eyes on me.

"What?"

"Looks like you get to play the damsel this time." Cora was trying hard not to suppress a smile. I narrowed my eyes in a teasingly way.

"Very funny."


	5. Chapter 5: Dysporia

Hey GUYS! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in... like a year, hehe. I have a good excuse; college. And also having writers block. I've been rewriting this chapter in my head forever, literally. But, a couple weeks ago, I finally got it and it came to me. I've realized, rereading through the old chapters that the plot is a little iffy and doesn't make sense in some places, so I think I'm going to rewrite some of the earlier chapters and make it flow more. Your reviews and comments light up my day! Tell me what you think of chapter 5!:) I loved writing this chapter!

Chapter 5

Dysphoria

Cora's POV

Spizizizzzzz

Reno cursed under his breath, his hand barely moving out of the way before getting electrocuted. "Aah! If this generator wasn't short circuited and ancient," stretching his arm behind the console of loose cords and over-pushed buttons, he brought forth a red wire, then, yanked it free from its socket. "I might, actually, get it to work." Watching Reno play and unpick the generator was like watching a toddler play with Lego's for the first time. For five minutes, he would push and pull apart pieces into another set of odd shape pieces, in result, they would fall apart. He quickly gave up on them and moved on to a tangle of cords.

I'm not a mechanic, I know a little bit from my experience on the surface, but then again, the surface only takes you so far, and just looking at the box of rust made my head spin. I switch feet, right to left, instantly relieving the pressure. Grimacing as I looked at Temma, hoping he would give him a hand, but, then, not one second later, realization begin to dawn on the old, wise face that Reno had no idea what he was doing.

Reno turned around, holding up a black wire. "Please tell me there is another generator that is better equipped and not falling apart like this one."

Temma chuckled under his breath, grabbing the wire out of his hand. "No, this is a backup generator. The city used these when the Wraithes took out the main generator, just on the outskirts of the city." Reaching his hand back to where Reno's was just a second ago.

"How did they do that?" Zane asked.

"They blew it up."

"Oh."

"There's a generator in every area of the city, if I remember correctly. We tried to keep them hidden, but the Wraithes always kept finding them, and destroying most of them. Me and the other scientists knew the generators would be good for a while, but we also knew, they weren't powerful enough to keep the lights, the greenhouse, and everybody's house equipped with power."

"The greenhouse?" Astro suddenly piped up.

I glimpsed up; already knew I would find the familiar gleam in his eyes. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up, remembering when he came out of his Environmental Studies class one day, describing clear blue oceans, forests vibrant as emerald, things that were lost to us.

Dr. Temma's eyes trinkled. "Yes, the greenhouse is...well, not like the surface. That's for sure. If it still looks like it was when I was here. Half of it was used for vegetation while the rest was growing other stuff. But, when the Wraithes started coming out, we had to use the greenhouse for vegetation, mostly, for the people."

Zane stood next to Reno who scooted over giving Temma full access of the generator and went to work.

I felt my jaw clenched. These Wraithes were... cruel. No, they were vicious, barbaric, inhuman, everything I've heard about these creatures always seemed to end up in death. Temma's story kept running through my head like a broken record, over, over, and over. Red eyes scanning every inch of the city, scanning everybody, one foot out of line and they strike you dead. Giving no mercy, whatsoever. My hand formed into a fist, instead of fear, anger seeped throughout my body like a wildfire. Of course, I was scared, but the thought of the Wraithes hurting Astro or the others made me want to lash out at the red eyes that poisoned this use-to-be-paradise.

I glanced up at Astro, but his eyes were already on my face. I look away, casting my eyes into the dark canopy below us; trying to make out shapes or structures.

"What were you thinking just now?"

"Nothing of importance."

"Looked important to me."

"It's nothing." I shrugged off, giving his hand a squeeze in reassurance, though my face said otherwise, and he could see it. What am I doing? Astro is my best friend. My boyfriend. I can tell him anything. I should have told him. He's just trying to be there for me and I'm just making it difficult. I heave out a sigh. "Astro, I'm-"

Blinding lights flashed in front of me. Then, another set of lights winked at me, this time further away. Then another, till every shop, lamp post, advertise sign was shimmering away the darkness. The plaza, that was once dark and could barely see a thing in front of you, lit up with a tangerine glow. Now that I could see, long, curly, green plants covered, almost, everything in this area. The thick branches twisting and hugging each corner that it touched while leaves longer than my arm, coated them. Giving the effect of a jungle look. The shops sat on each side of me while a large fountain rested in the middle. It was beautiful.

Reno's voice could be heard, bringing me out of my glazed look. "You just plug it in?" He shook his head in disbelief, "I don't know how you and Dr. Elefun survived with this technology."

"Welcome to the 21st century, Reno." Astro teased.

Reno glared at him, "Very funny."

Temma chuckled, "We did our best with what we had, to us, this-" he gestured to the plaza below, "-this was everything to us and anyone who came here."

Worn out light bulbs lit up "Metro Apparel", the rusted letters stretching across the white paint. The glass was shattered on the display window, making an uneven opening into the small shop. I crouched down getting a better look inside. Junk of all sorts was littered everywhere; baby shoes, a couple of women's jackets, ties that varied in every color, sunglasses, jewelry with faded gold coatings. What a mess. I would have gone through the door if it wasn't blocked by a set of bars. The window was my best option. Hesitantly at first, I slowly inched my hand inside, till sharp edges were hovering above my shoulder. Inside the boutique itself, only darkness reflected at me. I shivered as I tried not to imagine a dark figure reaching for me. A musty aroma surrounded me, and my head, instantly, drew back. Ugh, just ignore it and keep going. I bit down my lower lip, concentrating on not letting my arm touch any part of the keen material as I roamed the small space, moving coats and hats.

Huh, maybe people down here didn't use canes.

Carrying half of Astro's weight was exhausting. He's heavier than he looks and him leaning on my shoulder for twenty minutes, was already weighing me down. A cane would be nice for him. And for me, too.

I glanced behind me, moving a lock of pink hair behind my ear. Temma was pacing back and forth with an intense look creasing his face. Reno walked towards him with a black stick in hand. A flashlight, maybe. My gaze locked on Astro. He was resting against the wall of the fountain, a smirk growing on his face.

"What?"

"Need some help?"

"Nope. I'm fine. I'm... fi...ne" One minute I was staring at a smiling Astro, the next, five more Astro's blurred across my vision. Mixing in as one. I shook my head to try clear my vision, but it only made the pounding in my head increase. I tried to look at Astro, but I couldn't make him out. I scrunched my eyebrows together, as the pain curled around my scalp, traveling down into my body. What's happening?

"Cora, you okay?"

I tried to respond but my tongue wouldn't work. My head was spinning, and I thought it was never going to stop. I was going to pass out.

Then, the pain lessened. Lessened until I could feel no more of it. It was gone. I relaxed and opened my eyes to find Astro in mid crouch, his eyes calculating mine.

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head once more, not sure what just happened and gave him a shaky nod. "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Whatever it was it's gone now. That was so weird.

I turned back to the window. Bright red eyes drowned in mine. I gasped before a pair a long, ebony fingers grabbed my free arm and yanked me through the window. Jagged fingernails dig into my skin, making me cry out. I felt myself being whipped across the shop till my back made an unpleasant sound against the wall. My hands and knees met with fallen glass; cutting them up.

I coughed onto the biting cold tile. The taste of metal, instantly, met my tongue. I heard Astro yell my name. "Cora!"

I slowly crawl towards the, now, destroyed window, but cried out again as I tried to move my left arm. Biting down on my lower lip, making the metal taste stronger. It felt like hot red coals were trying to mold their self's inside my skin, the heat growing by the seconds. I gasped for air, but the whiff of the awful odor I smelt earlier was the only supply of oxygen. I felt like I was being suffocated. I couldn't see anything, but at the same time, I didn't want to.

"Astro." I grunted.

The light coming from the Plaza started to give definition to my surroundings as I inched closer to my only escape. I was able to see why my arm was hurting; Dark red droplets oozed and covered my left forearm, seeping out of the crisp pieces of glass that shrewd their way inside my skin. Every movement I made seemed to make the crimson color thicken and pulse. I shivered; I wasn't too comfortable by the sight of blood.

Something unusual kept coming back to my mind; Wouldn't Astro and the others have already found me by now. Where was the Wraithe? Why was no one calling my name. Panic started to arise in my chest, and I forced my body to move faster, which made the pain incredibly harder to ignore. If that Wraithe laid a hand on one of them...

My hand froze mid reach as a slightly bigger hand stretched out in front of me. It was Astro. My body melted in relief as I eagerly accepted his hand, pulling me up onto the higher platform.

I close the air between us as I wrap my good arm around him, squeezing him into a tight hug. His body relaxed against mine, following his arms to encircle my body; protecting me. My eyes closed as I sighed in relief.

He murmured into my hair, "Are you okay?" I shook my head; I didn't realize I was shaking till he held me. "Yeah, I thought that Wraithe was going to... never mind. I'm just glad you're here."

"Wraithe? What Wraithe?" The voice declined a couple octave's down, going deeper and rougher. My eyes flipped open and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It was not Astro's voice. My eyes widened as the warm firm hands hugging my shoulders, instead, stretched longer and thinner. The fingernails extending an inch out, coming to a fine point at the end. Soft pink skin turned wrinkly and ink black.

The voice purred. "Don't be frighten."

I made a sound and shoved away but the talons held me like iron locks. His eyes were the only feature I could see, his eyes gleaming nothing but darkness. I made another attempt to rip away from his grasp, but he wouldn't budge.

The tip of his hood leaned closer almost touching my forehead. I could see no lips form as he said. "We've been expecting you."

"Cora!" And I blinked.

The Wraithe was gone.

Astro was standing in front of me with his hands on my shoulders. Dr. Temma, Reno, and Zane were behind him, looking at me with concerned eyes as I tried to make sense of what just happened. What did just happen? The Wraithe... glass... blood... Astro... his hands morphing into claws...

Astro shook my shoulders once more and I finally came out.

I swiped at his hands, but he kept trying to grasp at them, "No, no, no, no, no, get off, get off, GET OFF, GET OFF!" Everything I saw and was feeling came over me like a tidal wave.

"Cora, it's okay, it's me, it's me." Nothing they said sufficed. I could still smell the Wraithe, the musty scent, and it was twice as bad than the first time. I sucked in a shallow breath; my arm was normal, no deep wounds coated my skin, nothing. I was clean. It was as if nothing happened. What did that Wraithe do to me? Over and over I repeated no, no, no. The room turned hot, making it unbearable to breathe. I had to get out of here. What if I was still trapped, trapped in whatever in this-

Strong arms wrapped around my body, one wove around my lower back, and the other was gently stroking my hair. Astro held me tightly against his chest as he spoke, "It's okay. Your safe. I won't let anything happen to you." I stopped thrashing and reduced to shaking. His words spoke to me, traveling deep into my bones, sparking every nerve ending, filling my heart with warmth and love. Right then, I knew that this was real. I was safe and Astro was here.

"It's you." A sob tore through me as I felt the nightmare fade away. "It was so real."

"What just happened to her?" Zane said, "She kept going out and in, muttering gibberish-"

"I saw Zane," Temma responded, I didn't hear him come up to me. His hand startled me as it rested on my shoulder. "Let me see," cupping my face in his hands. I didn't know what he was looking for, I didn't think there was anything wrong with my face. Until- "Your eyes are back to normal."

"What was wrong with my eyes?" He dropped his hands.

"They were glazed, almost cloudy." He took in my arms. "You're not trembling anymore, that's good." I frowned, confused at what he was trying to tell me. He read my expression. "You had a hallucination."

I was taken aback, "A Hallucination? That was more than-"

"They're vivid, very real. It feels as if you're really there." He quickly explained, rushing over my words.

"Exactly." My hands and my arms were examined as if he was trying to find something.

Astro stepped forward. "What are you trying to find dad?"

"There's usually a mark or..." His eyes caught something on my neck. Fingering the collar of my wet suit, he pulled at the advanced material to expose my shoulder and an imprint of a red hand, someone could have guessed it for a tattoo. "Just as I thought."

That wasn't there before, "What is that?"

I could see the wheels turning in his brain, "Who did you see in your hallucination?"

I didn't want to say it, but I did. "A Wraithe."

"Wait," Astro's jaw tightened. "The Wraithe can physically touch her?" The question aimed at his dad.

Temma's face hardened. "I'm afraid so, that mark on her shoulder is proof of that. The hallucinations are strong. Before, we had a theory that they could jump between dimensions while make you hallucinate at the same time. I still haven't wrapped my head around it on how they can do it."

"So, we should all be concerned about this." Zane mentioned.

"Oh, yes."

"The Wraithes used the visions as a distraction, a weapon to lure people away. Tricking them into feeling that they were safe.

"Yikes." Reno said.

"It can happen to anyone. I should have told you guys on the sub. I just didn't think they would come..." He paused, then set his sights on me. "Cora, did the Wraithe say anything to you?"

I nodded, "He said, 'We've been expecting you.' I didn't know what he meant by that. Do you?"

He thought about my comment as he went into his regular routine of pacing back and forth. He halted, as his face spread to worry to fear.

"It's a trap. The signal-"

He didn't have time to finish as a Wraithe crashed through the window, heading straight toward us.


End file.
